PROTECTIVE EPITOPES IN TICK IMMUNITY

拟议的项目是确定抗原的分子基础。 并研究其对鼠疫传播的影响。 莱姆型疏螺旋体病和埃立克体病。 具体地说，在#年建立了扁虱保护性免疫模型 豚鼠。抗体已经被证明能够被动地 保护接受者将使用化学和免疫吸收剂进行净化 方法：研究方法。扁虱唾液抗原将被用于获取肩部硬蜱； 这些抗原将通过化学和免疫手段纯化，使用 上述纯化的保护性抗体。这样的抗原将是 用来在模型中主动产生壁虱免疫力。 用从硬虫致敏动物获得的纯化抗体，cDNA. 已经从唾液腺制备的文库将被筛选。是这样的 从被刺激的扁虱唾液腺中制备的图书馆将被用于 克隆编码保护性抗原的基因。几个假定的克隆有 已经被确认了。 重组抗原将在表达、纯化和鉴定之前 作为免疫原免疫大米和豚鼠，以确定它们的 具有诱导抗虱免疫的潜力。 利用免疫豚鼠，观察抗蚤免疫对豚鼠免疫能力的影响 感染伯氏疏螺旋体或犬埃立克体病的扁虱 将疾病传播给扁虱免疫宿主将被确定。反应的动力学 从感染扁虱到豚鼠宿主的传播将是 抗蜱免疫影响病原体的机制研究 变速箱。

The proposed project is to identify the molecular basis of the antigens involved in tick immunity and study its effects upon the transmission of Lyme borreliosis and Ehrlichiosis. Specifically a model of tick protective immunity has been established in guinea pigs. Antibodies already shown to be capable of passively protecting recipients will be purified using chemical and immunoabsorbent methods. Tick salivary antigens will be obtained for Ixodes scapularis; these antigens will be purified by chemical and immunological means using the purified protective antibodies described above. Such antigens will be used to actively produce tick immunity in the model. With purified antibodies obtained from tick-sensitized animals, cDNA libraries already prepared from salivary glands will be screened. Such libraries, prepared from stimulated tick salivary glands, will be used to clone genes encoding protective antigens. Several putative clones have already been identified. Recombinant antigens will be expressed, purified, and characterized before use as immunogens to immunize rice and guinea pigs to determine their potential for induction of anti-tick immunity. Using immune guinea pigs, the effect of anti-tick immunity on the ability of ticks infected with either Borrelia burgdorferi or Ehrlichia canis to transmit disease to tick-immune hosts will be determined. The kinetics of transmission from infecting tick to guinea pig host will be the basis of studies on the mechanism of how anti-tick immunity affects pathogen transmission.